She watched, and waited.
The room was silent as she floated there, kneeling with her knees just above the ground, eyes locked on her master's form. His face tired, emotionless, eyes closed in painful sleep. It had been hours since he'd made a sound, or really bled, the only sign of his continued life the steady rising and falling of his chest, and the glow of his skin.
She wanted to touch him… oh, did she want to touch him. The urge was gripping her mind, hand straying forward on more than one occasion. To feel his pulse, to exam his wounds, to fix the damage she'd brought to him… but she couldn't. Every time she drew close, her arm snatched itself back, her chest heaving as the cold brushed her again… a warning. My decisions have brought him nothing… I will not hurt him again. All she could do was watch, praying silently to her Creator, running the odds of his survival over and over again.
97%... no, 98%. From an empirical standpoint, his wounds where hardly anything to be this worried about; the odds where there would be some muscular damage to the leg, a few days bed rest with the right medicine… but even now, that accursed allocation error would not leave her be. She'd actively assaulted it every time it came, driving it back into the depths for a time… but it only appeared with greater force when it returned, bringing a pressure to her chest almost as painful as the cold.
It had been nearly eight hours since the battle, the sunlight having long since fallen behind the horizon. Yet, here she was, helpless in her duties. Searching for acceptable course of action… the pain grew worse and worse… she refused to put up with it much longer, programed punishment or fault. Though her body remained still, her mind flew into a whirlwind of activity, scraping together every bit of instruction she had ever received, searching for something she could do.
A dog could do your job better, if you ask me.
That mocking still stung at her, a violation of her most basic directive. After he'd said that… she'd felt completely broken, suddenly calling her entire being into question. She was entirely at his mercy, her control over even her own body gone. Yet, when Master Cana had called her, all that pain dissipated. She'd regained her composure, forcing away the fear and pain and coming to face the world again. Flawed or not… Master wanted me.
That thought alone brought back a glow to her skin, making the room just a little bit brighter. "I will perform better, Master." She promised aloud, placing herself on the ground entirely. Then, without a single thought, she leaned over, softly licking her Master's face.
It was only a moment later she saw the slightest hint of color, his eyes opening just a crack. Embarrassment feedback flaring once again, she immediately levitated away, keeping to her knees and keeping a close look at his eyes. Slowly, the crack widened, first in his left eye, then his right, a low groan rattling from his throat as he lifted up a hand to shield his eyes. In her mind, she was recording the way her Master awoke, like she would record a monster's combat attributes. Eyes open one at a time, followed by early signs of unconscious activity. Then the limbs are stretched, to relieve stiffness, followed by a cracking of the neck. For some reason, she found this all fascinating, each detail a new surprise.
"Fi," she heard him say, voice slightly dry. "What happened? Did I win?" His eyes where a little empty, still trying to gain focus, as he slowly shifted himself in his seat.
"You were indeed victorious Master," she pounced on his command, newly invigorate. "The Demon Lord Ghirahim fled slightly before you lost consciousness. You have been sitting here for exactly 8 hours, 7 minutes, and 49 seconds. Is there anything else you desire?" She never let their eyes part as he slowly sat up, pushing through the pain he was visibly feeling, right arm extending to the center of the room. "That thing there… could you fetch it?" He requested, most of his body still limp.
Dutifully, Fi turned herself around, locating the object of her Master's query. She did a quick mental search to identify it. Heart Container, an enchanted object which is produced spontaneously after the defeat of an extremely powerful entity of darkness. Contains a store of raw vitality which permanently fortifies the user against damages. Without a word, she floated as fast as her legs could carry her over to it, resting the weight of the emblem in her arms. It wasn't particularly heavy; her sensors put it at about 20 lbs, but with her fragile form, it was a heavy burden. She placed it reverently into her Master's lap, backing away to a respectful distance, watching with baited breath she waited to record its magic.
Master rested his hand on the container, taking a deep breath. The light started slowly, a cornea around the heart's surface, but it slowly expanded into a dome of light, the pure energy flowing out of the shell and into his body. As it did, his wounds rapidly began to heal; the bruises vanished into thin air, the gash in his leg quickly pulled itself together, his tight muscles swelled slightly with power. Even his eyes, tired and droopy, quickly shot up and glowed, shining with raw magical energy. Then, slowly as it began, the light began to fade, leaving behind a young man, completely undamaged, standing triumphantly.
"Yahoo!" He yelled voice energetic and joyful. "That was some really good stuff. I feel like I could lift a house!" He flexed his arm muscles to emphasis the point, which actually looked a little bigger than they did before.
Reaction noted… recording secondary objective; collect Heart Containers. The joy on her Master's face was all she needed to see, her own turning to a big smile along with it. Changing recorded definition of perfection… wait, she hadn't authorized that command. Still, it felt like it had come at the perfect time, and so she merely brushed it off, floating contently at her Master's side.
After a moment, though, Master stopped, his brow creasing with seriousness. "Wait a minute… Zelda!" He pressed the flat of two fingers into his forehead. "You said I was out for how long?" He looked over at her questioningly.
"8 hours, 7 minutes, and 49 seconds Master," she responded, still holding onto her smile. " However, you still are approximately 7 hours and 30 minutes under the required level of sleep for a human male of your age group from over the course of the last 4 days."
"Oh, come on," he pounded his fist in the air, visibly angry… pulling the happiness right from her face. "We've got to get going." Quickly, he set his way towards the door on the other side of the room, the solid surface fading as he approached it, and exited into the pale moonlight. It was surprising how quickly he had changed, the way he was dedicating himself to this. Of course, she dutifully followed him, hovering a few steps back, as the crisp night air swept over them.
They emerged into a tranquil garden, the soft babbling of waterfalls accompanying the cricket's chirping. Great pillars rose among a bed of flowers, giving the place a certain regality. The moonlight was dancing across both the water and her skin, making the glade appear as though it itself shown. For some reason, it seemed to settle a heavy calm over both of them, Master's face unclenching as he looked about in mild wonder.
"Its… amazing," he thought aloud, turning his head so he could capture the whole place. "It's so pure." He took a deep breath of the air, holding it in his lungs for a few precious moments before releasing it. Whatever sort of hold the spring held on him, however, what caught both of their attentions was the shrine at the far side; a small likeness of the Goddess Hylia, standing protectively over her symbol. She found herself subtly drawn to it… the memory of her mother's unwounded face floating back to the surface. It was so perfect, she refused to defile the place with speech, merely observing her Master as he moved forward, unsheathing his blade.
She felt the warm rush of power as he called up on the Skyward Strike, the movements of his hand subtly felt on her skin, guiding her to her proper place. She could feel the power in his downward stroke, the way the warmth left her in a pleasant wave. Then, she watched as the Goddess Symbol took it, spinning around like another she remembered, not so long ago.
Then, the voice came.
It echoed across the edge of her mind, playing out in ancient Hyliean tongue. The words seemed to come from the mouth of the Goddess statue, vaguely resembling the tone of her mother, except in a more masculine tone. Drawn to its power, she floated over the Goddess Statue, ripples forming on the surface of the water as she landed, looking out at her Master.
"Fi," he asked her, soft and still. "What is it?"
"Hyzli Oje Zi Na…" She stopped herself, catching the sentence in her throat, realizing she had spoken in Ancient Hyliean. Her legs crossed one another before she continued. "My greatest apologies Master. I have a message in the langue of the gods of old. Would you like me to translate for you?"
Master placed the sword back in her sheath, merely watching the ripples she made. "Go on, speak."
She centered herself before she began… the combination of his voice and her mother's bringing up a strange desire. She wanted to impress, to prove herself to both of them… to be beautiful. Her whole body coursed with energy as she bent herself over, preparing the most artistic display she was programed with.
All of her inhibitions where broken, conscious thought gone, as she let her body run free, spinning and leaping with all the grace she could muster. Feet never touching the water, she turned the whole pool into her stage, embracing the burning desire within her. The words that came from her mouth hardly seemed her own, coming in her own voice as they sounded from her head. "From the edge of time I guide you, the one chosen to carry out the goddess's mission." Her body propelled itself across the surface of the water, legs moving in an intricate dance. "The spirit maid who descended from the clouds must travel to two sacred places to purify her body. "You stand in one of these places; Skyview Spring. The other is known as the Earth Spring." She found herself hurling around the spring's alter, ending in a glorious spin, forcing herself on with all of her strength. "This second spring is hidden away deep within the scorched earth of Elden. The spirit maiden, ever mindful of the heavy task entrusted to her, has set out for this second sacred place. "The fire within her only grew stronger, its bindings tighter. She felt as if she could dance forever, for her mother and her Master, the feeling literally burning out from her belly. Indeed, she was propelling herself around for another lap when Master held up his hand firmly, singling her to stop. Down from the Goddess Statue came another stone tablet, long and worn, a perfect garnet embedded in the rock.
For a moment, she just stood there, looking at his face, waiting for some judgment. Master shifted the tablet beneath his arm, smiling softly as she cocked her head, walking closer until he was right in front of her, looking down into her eyes. "Such a good girl," he complimented her, placing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing slightly. "You really looked beautiful out there."
Resource Allocation Error 01 Detected! The alarm in her brain rang out, embarrassment rising.
"I am truly honored to have pleased you Master," she managed to get out, her tone slightly rushed, before she leaped back into the sword, shacking a little bit in her frame.
I make an adequate dog she thought to herself, cradling the fire in her belly. But perhaps there is something to be said for being a girl.